Scrooge and the Seven Dwarves by Sleeping Trees

You know it’s panto time when the theatre doors open and Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You quietly plays and the excitement builds in the audience.

Sleeping Tree’s show begins with the company members introducing themselves: James Dunnell-Smith, Joshua George Smith and John Woodburn.

[The cast: Ben Hales, then Snow White, Scrooge and a Munchkin]

From a simple start, anarchy soon takes over and the show is terrific fun. Aided and abetted by the superb Ben Hales (sneakily supplying music and sound effects) the hapless trio embark on a ridiculously silly story that the audience are more than happy to join in with. The expected slapstick and songs come thick and fast. I will refrain from any spoilers, suffice to say there are quite a few plot twists along the way.

For me, I thought the peril stakes with Tiny Tim could be more effective. Instead, the show steers well-clear of the heart-strings and peril of any sort, preferring to focus on The Three Stooges school of comedy.

John Woodburn as Scrooge

John Woodburn, especially, shines as Scrooge, amongst other characters. His portrayal of the magic mirror is in glorious danger of stealing the show. He sometimes has a stillness on stage that the others lack.

A wonderful set, designed by Zahra Mansouri, uses the tiny space to the full.

[James Dunnell Smith as the Wicked Witch]

The whole evening reminded me of other shows such as Thunderbirds FAB, The 39 Steps and The Play That Goes Wrong. It is a style of theatre that has spawned so many brilliant companies over the years. Sleeping Trees are the newest on the block.

[Joshua George Smith as Bob Cratchit]

Three words to sum up the evening: manic, madcap, marvellous.

The panto is at the Theatre 503, London SW11 running until January 7th 2017.

Websites – www.sleepingtreestheatre.co.uk and https://theatre503.com

Facebook – Sleeping Trees and Theatre503

Twitter – @wesleepingtrees, @theatre503, #Scrooge503

(Production photos ⓒ David Monteith-Hodge)

In the October half term, my grandma, grandpa, younger sister Josie and I went to Krakow in Poland because I am learning about the 2^nd War and Grandma thought it a good idea to see this lovely city, and learn first hand something of the holocaust.

Kraków is beautiful and on the first night we sat at one of the outside restaurants that had heaters and watched the nightlife around the Medieval Market Hall. There were so many people walking, chatting and even riding in the horse driven carriages that looked like something from Cinderella.

On the next day we went to Schindler’s Factory. Schindler and his wife took over an enamel factory after Nazis Germany conquered Poland in the second world war. It was formerly owned by Itzhak Stern. The Nazis who had occupied Poland took businesses from Jews and offered them to Aryan businessmen. Stern worked as Schindler’s accountant and suggested that Schindler saved Jews by employing them as workers, and is said to have helped draw up Schindler’s List, the list which ensured the safety of the Jews on it.

Schindler’s study and some of the pots the factory produced.

The Schindler’s and Stern were the most courageous of people. It was wonderful to be in his factory, and to look round the museum set up there. Mr and Mrs Schindler made no money but spent all the profits keeping the Jews healthy, and bribing the Germans.

It was upsetting, to actually BE there, but Josie and I are glad we went, because it really made us begin to understand the situation.

To lift ourselves, we went to the shopping mall, which of course I had also researched. On the second day we decided to just have a mooch around. We walked around the square, and then Wawel Castle, and the river with the bridge with loads of padlocks on it, left by lovers. We had lunch at a really nice cafe where you can have soup in a loaf of bread (grandma’s favourite soup in the whole world)

We also had a lovely hot chocolate. Honestly the hot chocolates in Poland are to die for. We also had the most amazing ice creams, even though it was 2 degrees, it’s never to cold for an ice cream.

On the third day we went to Auschwitz, which I don’t really know how to describe, but everyone should go. It is so disgusting that people could work others to death, or make them walk to the gas chambers, after taking everything of value from them.

Krakow Jews were marched from the Krakow ghetto which had been built to imprison them, to a square with their belongings, which they had to leave behind, before being taken by train to Auschwitz to work or die. Now there are sculptures of chairs on this square to commemorate those who collected here.

Our trip to Auschwitz was the start of really imagining what had happened to Jewish men, women and children under Nazi Germany’s rule. Though gypsies, Poles, and just about anyone who didn’t agree with the Nazis also suffered. There are so few Jews left in Europe anymore. It really made me think of how the cities must have changed, so many Jewish quarters now gone, as though they’d never been.

The things that made us so upset was the hair which was collected before the women and children were killed, the false legs and so on which were displayed, to get the message to us. And importantly, also the prayer shawls. It’s so saddening to see that something so sacred was taken away, before their death. The final insult. Nothing was wasted apparently. The hair was used for mattresses and the lining of submarines, their belongings were distributed to Aryans, and so on.

On the last full day we went to the beautiful Jewish Quarter. We  looked around the old synagogue and learned about the Jewish history and festivals. Next we went to look in the cemetery. We actually saw some Jews singing the prayer for the dead (we think) at one particular headstone. Perhaps it was for an ancestor? All the headstones had stones on them, much as we would put flowers. Next we went to a nice cafe in the Jewish Quarter, which is really coming to life again, Grandma said, having been coming to Krakow for some years.

At the restaurant my sister thought she had lost her phone and made a massive fuss of it, turns out it was in her bag! The next day was our final day and it was time to say good bye to Kraków. It was the most eye opening trip and I would love to go there again, and learn even more, and have another hot chocolate. Hope you’re reading this, Grandma.

And so… let’s look at the kindness of strangers:

There I was, in London with fellow Words for the Wounded granny, crime writer Penny Deacon, heading across the bridge to walk along the South Bank to see the outside of the Tate Modern extension, when we called in at Caffe Nero (Golden Hinde, Bankside)

It was my call, I was cold, needed a caffeine shot, which we had, and very nice it was too.

Then, on we scurried because we then had lunch at The Wellington on the Strand, before hitting the Caravaggio exhibition at the National Gallery.

All went exceedingly well, much like Mr Kipling’s cakes. Penny liked the extension, I didn’t – normal for us, we agree on virtually nothing but somehow we never quite strangle one another.

Then to the Wellington Restaurant upstairs which we do agree on, had a great time with Jose and Erica and tucked into a delicious fish pie (very large).

Then on to the National. I was feeling strangely unburdened as we had our bags searched on entry. Then, holy moley, No, no no, I was without my tote bag, last seen with me at – yep, you’ve got it, right back along the Embankment at Caffe Nero.

Disaster.

The research notes for my new novel for Random House were in it, plus an essential research book, and the bag itself which was precious, given to me by Dr Kathleen Thompson, medical correspondent for Frost Magazine, and author of the award winning From Both Ends of the Stethoscope.

Could it possibly still be there? Surely it was tucked over someone else’s shoulder, and later they would have to lie in a darkened room having tried to decipher my totally illegible handwriting.

I phoned, and – glory be -they had rescued it. It was in the office. Penny went on into the exhibition, I scurried, hurried, legged it back down the Strand, and along theSouth Bank, zipping past people, swerving in and out, all in a lather.

Finally I arrived at the Golden Hinde. ‘Ah yes,’ the young woman said, and off she went to collect it from the office. My notes, my book, my lovely bag… So the next Milly Adams could proceed.

Off I roared, back along the South Bank, then the Strand, then to the National Gallery, and coincidently met Penny in the queue for the loo (where else)

So I reckon that at least some of the calories consumed at the Wellie were walked off, my novel due out in October 2017 was saved, my feet were sore, and I will never walk past a Caffe Nero without feeling grateful.

In addition, the grannies are walking Hadrian’s Wall next year, so I can now say I’ve done some training. Well, I am a fiction writer.

www.wordsforthewounded.co.uk

http://www.millyadams.co.uk

Caffe Nero Golden Hind, 3 Cathedral Street, London SE1 9DE
Phone: 020 7407 7100

http://www.nicholsonspubs.co.uk/restaurants/london/thewellingtonstrandlondon

Paul Vates, Frost Magazine’s doyen of all things theatrical, had a great time with Sweet FA, and the fact that it was raising money for GOSH made everything that much better, especially for me. My grand-daughter, Meg, who runs the Young Voices column is having a massive operation there in a couple of weeks, though soon after that she will be back with us.

So, over to Paul:

Making things up as you go along sounds a great career to choose. That’s what Graham Dickson and his colleagues have chosen to do at The Free Association in north London.

The FA specialise in improvisational theatre and comedy. Based upstairs at The De Beauvois Arms in north London, they run comedy evenings, workshops and training – all in the art of impro.

I popped in for a two-hour taster session with Graham as part of the Charity Weekender, with proceeds going to GOSH (Great Ormond Street Hospital). We were a small group, eight in total and began by playing basic and easy games. Before we knew it, we were in full flow, performing sketches and taking risks. Always scary, always funny.

Part of the ‘serious’ side of impro was explained to us by Graham: how it only works when we work as a team; how we must trust each other even though, in our case, we’ve only just met; how we must allow ourselves to stop thinking and just let it happen.

After our brilliant taster session, there followed a full day of impro sessions led by some of the best in the business. What better way to give to GOSH, by learning and laughing.

The FA always have events and shows coming up. Keep in touch with them via their website: www.thefreeassociation.co.uk. They are also on Facebook and, of course, Twitter @FAimprov … And I’m not making this up.